Steven was a teenager when he first began to realize that he might be gay. His friends would share their
feelings about girls, and he realized those feelings weren’t something that he experienced. He initially
resisted the thought that he might be gay because it was contrary to what he had been taught. Steven
went to BYU and tried to “do the straight thing”, but dating girls for him really just meant having a best
girl friend and hanging out. As Steven has come out to various people, their reactions have varied. The
first bishop he told responded by telling him he was going to hell; his best friend responded with “So
what?” Luckily most people, including his family, have been supportive. His father brought much
needed peace when he wrote in a letter, “I believe that God gave you this. And maybe it’s not for you to
overcome. Maybe it’s so that everyone else can learn to love you like they’re supposed to.”